Well, I survived my preaching class. I have intentionally used the word "survived" because that is how it feels. It met 5 hours a day, every day for two weeks. During that time, we had to read 5 books, write two papers - one 5-7 pages, one 15 pages, write and preach two 12-17 minute sermons, and preach two extemporaneous 5 minute sermons with little prep time. All scriptures for sermons were assigned, and the texts for the 5 minute sermons were assigned just before the break, and had to be preached after the break - 15 minutes prep time!
Don't misunderstand...I learned a ton in the class, but we all felt pretty abused. The professor was from another culture, and was promoting a style much different than that with which most of the class had experience. As she critiqued the sermons, she tended to harp on the errors (from her perspective) that she observed. It would have been enough to state the error and move on, but she would hammer on it for a good ten minutes or more. I felt so bad for the speakers that had to endure such abuse. One student ended the two weeks with bronchitis/pneumonia she felt was purely from the stress of the class. Running short or long of the 12-17 minutes was a guaranteed C or worse on the sermon. The professor said she "Loves preachers," but her behavior sure didn't show it.
It all made me very appreciative of one of the cultural phenomena of our seminary. There seems to be an unwritten rule among most of the professors that I have had that affirmation is essential. They seem to recognize that more can be achieved through positive reinforcement than through negative.
Well, I did come out of the class with two written sermons, one of which I preached for real this past Sunday, and one that I will preach next Sunday. I'm filling the pulpit for a friend who is leading a VIM trip to Bay St. Louis, MS. If you want to come hear me, send me an email privately and I can give you times and places. Hipchickmamma has suggested I post my sermons, but they're too long. I have translated one of them into Spanish as well, as I was told that one of the churches has a woman who speaks little English. I thought she could follow along and get a chance to "hear" (read) the sermon, too. She wasn't there. :-) But it was a good exercise. I've been needing to brush up my Spanish, and it really helped set the sermon in my mind. I'll probably do it again this week.
And I have decided I DO enjoy preaching. I wasn't sure before, but now that I have a few more tools instead of just the OJT that I've used before, the process is much more enjoyable. I got that much from the class.
Kim
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6 comments:
so what's an OJT?
congrats on completing the class--i have heard from others that it was INTENSE, and I appreciate reading your thoughts. i'm curious about the cultural disconnect you mentioned...can you say more--if not here, email me, or just say NUNY!:>)
soooo...will you be seeking an appt. this year?
i admire you greatly--translating into spanish!?! what can't you do?
KIM ROCKS!
LOL. Thanks.
Yes, I've been approved for licensing, and have asked for an appointment. In fact, I asked very specifically, naming the one that I thought I would be a good fit for. The DS seems to agree, but it isn't wholly his decision. I'll email you about the cultural disconnect.
I tried emailing you from 3 different accounts, and your spamfilter won't let me in. I'll send to your school account.
Kim
BTW, OJT=On the Job Training
wow! not making me look forward to the class (especially since i already feel convinced i'm not a preacher) but i'm glad you made it through. who was your teacher? i know they've been bringing in various people to help with the student load but i want to know who to watch out for. :) by the way, there's a link to your blog on mine now, so i hope you get more traffic, although i make no promises!
She was an adjunct. I'll tell you her name when I see you. I doubt she'll be back. I think her evals were probably really poor.
Oh yeah....and thanks for linking me!
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